The US State Department announced Tuesday that senior diplomat Zalmay Khalilzad is heading back to Qatar for more talks with the
Taliban, as signs of a possible
Afghanistan peace deal emerge.
Khalilzad was to leave the
United States on Tuesday for Doha, and after talks there he will travel to
Kabul to consult with the Afghan government on the peace process.
Khalilzad, the US special representative for Afghanistan reconciliation, bolstered optimism for a peace agreement last week when he concluded the eighth round of negotiations with the Islamist insurgents with a tweet saying he hoped this is the final year that the country is at war.